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DBCP In Drinking Water: What Does It Mean? Page 8 1-800-426-4791 (Note materials ordered through the EPA Hotline may take three to four weeks for delivery). Articles about water filters can be found in the public library. See the February 1983 issue of Consumers Reports, and "A Drop to Drink", by B. Webendorfer in the September 1988 Country Journal. WHAT'S BEING DONE TO PREVENT GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION? Because the expenses and difficulty of removing contaminants from ground water are now well recognized, a number of measures are being taken to prevent more water contamination. For example, laws have been passed to require removal or double - lining of underground storage tanks such as at gasoline stations and to prohibit dumping of hazardous wastes in areas where the chemicals might get into the water supplies. Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Department of Food and Agriculture (DFA) now require testing of pesticides to see if they might leach through the soil and enter ground water. This testing became California law under the Pesticide Contamination Prevention Act of 1986 (AB 2021). Pesticides that are identified as having the potential to leach will be carefully monitored if they are applied in a way, such as injection into soil, that enhances their ability to migrate into ground water. If they are found in ground water or in soil below a certain level, they will be evaluated to find out if their uses can be changed to prevent pollution. If their uses cannot be changed, such pesticides can be subject to immediate cancellation. Besides this prevention program, both the state and federal governments require that pesticides be given a full range of tests to determine health effects. Some older pesticides that were approved between the 1950's and early 1970's when regulations were not so stringent as now were not tested for cancer causing potential, ability to cause birth defects, and some other effects. The state's Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1984 (SB 950) set a March 1987 deadline in California for pesticide companies to submit studies or begin new ones to fill health "data gaps." In 1989 Congress passed pesticide reform legislation that sets a timetable for completing testing of older pesticides within eight years. These laws will bring about identification and cancellation of pesticides that pose special health hazards. Besides these efforts, research is underway to develop pesticides that have less potential to harm health and the environment and to encourage reduced use of pesticides, such as through integrated pest management (IPM) practices. The DBCP episode has been a hard lesson, and government and environmental groups are working to prevent such contamination occurrences in the future.